How to Tone down an acoustic..Recording with one mic?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I agree,. Im going to try to band-aid it with a foam sock for the mic for now, we'll see tonight

You can try that but I don't think that is great idea, kinda like putting a band-aid on a rash.
While it will probably remove some zingy treble it will also remove air and presence.

(If it is room reflection) first try just moving to a different spot in the room or make some portable absorbers

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by KevWind

You can try that but I don't think that is great idea, kinda like putting a band-aid on a rash.

While it will probably remove some zingy treble it will also remove air and presence.



(If it is room reflection) first try just moving to a different spot in the room or make some portable absorbers

Thanks will do

[MikeBmusic]

Learn how to track your guitar playing and vocals separately. I know some folks just like to do both at the same time, but recording them separately opens up many good possibilities when processing recordings.

[CASD57]

Had one of those packing blankets 6'x6', so I pinned it to the wall next to me as I sing and it helped a lot with the runaway treble
Today at work I'm going to build an isolation box that will sit on my work station, hopefully, it will isolate the mic even more.
Probably cardboard lined with foam strips.
I'm hoping it will keep the mic isolated on three sides.

getting closer

[JakeStone]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Had one of those packing blankets 6'x6', so I pinned it to the wall next to me as I sing and it helped a lot with the runaway treble
Today at work I'm going to build an isolation box that will sit on my work station, hopefully, it will isolate the mic even more.
Probably cardboard lined with foam strips.
I'm hoping it will keep the mic isolated on three sides.

getting closer

From my experience with home recordings. Room treatment or at least some kind of treatment for the area plus proper mic placement are crucial.

Check out this video on DIY Acoustic panels. I made a batch of them and cost me like $25-30 bucks each. Then I made some thicker ones following a different DIY for my room corners.

[Al Acuff]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Had one of those packing blankets 6'x6', so I pinned it to the wall next to me as I sing and it helped a lot with the runaway treble
Today at work I'm going to build an isolation box that will sit on my work station, hopefully, it will isolate the mic even more.
Probably cardboard lined with foam strips.
I'm hoping it will keep the mic isolated on three sides.

getting closer

This photo shows some freestanding acoustic panels. I bought these from RealTraps but you can make your own if you're handy with tools. They have been my single best investment in my home studio.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

This photo shows some freestanding acoustic panels...

Does facing into them work better than having the panels behind you? Silly question, it must or you wouldn't be showing it that way. But left on my own it wouldn't be the first thing I'd try.

[Al Acuff]

I find the pictured set-up works pretty well for recording guitar and vocals with a single ribbon mic (figure 8 pickup pattern). My room is small with some diffusion and some absorption. You won't get a dry sound with this set-up but if the room sounds OK you're good to go.

Been experimenting with both the N22 and N8 ribbon microphones for singing and playing into one mic. It's hard to beat the N8. You can back off 2 or 3 feet and still get a great big sound.

[Brent Hahn]

Ah - hadn't taken the fig8 into account. Makes more sense.

[Al Acuff]

If it were a cardioid mic I'd sit with my back to the panels and the null of the cardioid pointing at my DAW. The nice thing about using moveable panels is you are free to try different arrangements until you like the sound you're getting.

[MikeBmusic]

Having some panels in front of you IS good for most small room recordings - they absorb the outgoing sound waves before they start bouncing around creating mud and bad reverb. Add a couple more behind you to cut down on the reflections that would then bounce back to the 'live' area of the mic.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

Having some panels in front of you IS good for most small room recordings - they absorb the outgoing sound waves before they start bouncing around creating mud and bad reverb. Add a couple more behind you to cut down on the reflections that would then bounce back to the 'live' area of the mic.

Got my 24x24in panel done with 2x2 foam strips glued to it a
With about an inch between them, put it on the front on my work station behind my mic.
Did three recordings without, it behind the mic and then it on the side, also put two Merv 8 pleated furnace filters where the sound board wasn't (lol), it all helped a lot, this weekend im going to put up those three office cubicule dividers in the garage, cloth covered , should make a nice audio booth, ill keep you posted

[Gary in MO]

Getting an acoustic guitar perfectly recorded is a tough job due to microphone, guitar brand, tone woods, strings, plectrums, playing style, and especially internal harmonics that come out on a recording but you really can't hear with your ears. This list goes on and on including room harmonics.

Record your guitar and then learn to mix the acoustic guitar. There are many tutorials on Youtube for mixing an acoustic guitar. It will take the stress off of you trying to get that perfect sound directly through a mic. And I agree that you should play the song with solo guitar and then sing to it. Use a headphone setup and metronome to keep your timing. These are only suggestions if you want this to sound more polished.

[Gary in MO]

Here is an equalizer tutorial for acoustic guitar with a simple search.

https://talkinmusic.com/musicproduct...oustic-guitar/

It will make your recordings sound more professional. The amount of information available is endless.

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by CASD57

No that was done with other mic's and a lot farther away..like 2 ft
But this one is bright also
I'm working on building a studio in my garage, Picked up three Cubicle dividers (Cloth covered) That should help tone down everything but until winter is over I'm stuck inside my office with bare walls..

Do you have a recorded example of the problem that you could post?